Pretty Quite...

I'm now over my bout of the flu or cold which has kept me at home for the last week or so, which also meant that I did not get out for two weekends in a row.  It has also had a knock-on effect, as I was not able to obtain any material for my own blog.  I was hoping for some sightings from other observers, but it has been a quite couple of weeks.  At a time when I'm sitting at home with little to do, I decided to re-work my Antrim Marina Spreadsheet which was quite a task, as the info on it goes back to when Adam McClure initially began his Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study.  It was at Antrim Marina, where the first gulls were caught and colour-ringed at the beginning of his now former project.

 

The old spreadsheet, had the gulls in blocks of 25 birds, with each block being dived with a column giving the dates of visits.  These blocks have been changed to 15 birds, which are in alphabetical order of their colour-ring codes, and now has the age and sex when ringed, along with the date that each bird was ringed.  The new updated spreadsheet was a mammoth task, as the first re-sighting date was on the 12th October 2012, when Adam spotted the Lithuanian Black-headed Gull - (White) T35J.  As this bird returned to the Marina every winter, it had to be included in the spreadsheet.  (White) T35J, was last recorded at the Marina, on the 11th March 2019, and had been ringed as a chick in Lithuania in June 2006.

 

This new spreadsheet, will also include a separate sheet which contains all of the ringing details for each bird, and will include all sightings made away from the Marina for added interest.  In the past, anyone submitting sightings of gulls at the Marina, would have received a copy of the spreadsheet, so this new version will add to their interest.

 

As I publish this post, we are only hours away from Christmas Day, so I wish all of my readers, as well as all of the observers who have submitted their ring sightings for inclusion on my blog, a Merry Christmas and my sincere thanks.

 

Whilst many will be at home to celebrate with their families, I'll be heading to Belfast to hopefully record my Xmas Day Gull - the Norwegian Black-headed Gull (White) - J4TJ.  My wife will be working in a Nursing Home so those with children can have the day off, and we will have our Christmas Dinner on Boxing Day.

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Antrim Marina - Monday 20th December 2021

Having re-registered my car with Antrim & Newtownabbey Council, I had no trouble getting my car through the barrier which allows me to park alongside the slipway.  My previous two visits, had to be made entirely on foot, and standing about for several hours was not too comfortable, as I had no respite from the cold conditions.  My visit on the 6th December, was the worst ever, and at times my toes were so cold I could hardly feel them. 

Of course, with getting the car in once more, the weather conditions couldn't have been better for this time of the year.  Although dull and cloudy, there was hardly a breeze and not cold at all.  These calm conditions, may be the cause of another poor showing of the Black-headed Gulls today.  Around 60 were present on my arrival, but overall numbers at any time, did not exceed the 100 mark.  I arrived at 09:10 this morning, and I was on the search for 53 colour-ringed gulls, which included 14 which had been caught and ringed this winter.

 

The first two rings read at 09:17, were those of -   2ABK  &   2CJT .  The 27th and final ring read at 11:41, was that of -   2FIH , this one being the 14th gull caught and ringed this winter.  No further returnees were recorded, and there is still has been no sign of any ringed gulls belonging to foreign shores.  Once again, I've been bitterly disappointed with the numbers at the Marina, which should be well in excess of 200 gulls for this time of the year.  It does not help, when half of the total of colour-rings that I'm searching for on a weekly basis, are absent as well.  Last week, it was around a third of the overall total, and this week, it's half.  Once again, -   2AAR  is the most noticeable absentee.  Having arrived back from Poland on the 18th October 2021, he was re-sighted weekly up until the 22nd November.  Once back, he would be among the first to be recorded during each visit, but with an absence of 4 weeks now, I'm beginning to  wonder about his well-being.

 

I had intended to catch and ring another couple of gulls, but at one point, a young lady (foreign) and her very small daughter arrived with a carrier bag filled to the neck with bread.  The gulls had quite a feed, and roughly at the same time, others arrived to feed the ducks.  By the time I was ready to catch and ring, most gulls were now dis-interested, and those that were kept their distance.

 

The weather forecast for this coming weekend, appears to be very mild, so my next visit to Antrim Marina, may once again see few gulls present.

 

Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Monday 20th December 2021

2ABK	2CJT	2FFJ	2FFA	2FFX	2ABL	2AAN	2ABN	2CSA
2CSR	2ABS	2FHP	2AAA	2FHL	2BRA	2CSK	2FDK	2FIC
2CSJ	2FFF	2CSB	2FHA	2AAK	2FDJ	2FFL	2FFC	2FIH

 Black-headed Gulls Recorded or Ringed at Antrim Marina This Autumn/Winter but Absent Today

2AAB	2AAR	2ABA	2ACV	2AFD	2BRD	2CSL	2CSX	2CTA
2CTC	2FDT	2FDV	2FFN	2FFP	2FFT	2FHC	2FHF	2FHH
2FHJ	2FHK	2FHN	2FHT	2FHV	2FHX	2FIA	2FIF

 

On leaving Antrim Marina shortly after 12:15, I visited a few other sites around Antrim Town, before heading back home to Ballymena.  As I was passing The Peoples Park in Ballymena, I decided to call in for a quick visit.  I have visited the park on several occasions this winter, but today, I finally spotted my first colour-ring of this winter -   2FIA .

 

  2FIA , is one of my Antrim Marina birds, which of course was absent there on today's visit.  I caught and ringed it as an un-sexed 2nd Calendar Year bird, on the 15th November 2021, at Antrim Marina.  After being ringed, it was recorded at the Marina, on the 22nd November, and on the 6th December 2021.  The sighting of -   2FIA  in Ballymena, now throws up a couple of questions.  Is it simply roaming, or is it already on the move back to it's original home, wherever that may be.  The Peoples Park is 17 kms / 10 miles (N), from Antrim Marina, and it's now 1 month and 5 days, since this gull was ringed.

Black-headed Gull  -    2FIA   -  The Peoples Park, Ballymena, Co. Antrim  (20 Dec 2021)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed 2nd Calendar Year Bird, on the 15th November 2021, at Antrim Marina)

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

On my last visit to Antrim Marina, I recorded a winter's high amongst the Mute Swans, with 18 birds present at one time, though, if the four cygnets which returned to the Lough Neagh, had been counted, the overall total would have been 22.

 

Today, the total reached a new high, as I had 21 birds altogether, which were all still present on my departure.  On my arrival today, just 6 white swans were on the slipway, which also included -   Z78580  , which had been ringed here in November 2020 as a juvenile.  At 09:40, a pair along with four cygnets swam in from the Lough.  This posed the question - were they the same four cygnets as last week, having joined up with their parents, or were last week's cygnets different birds?

 

At 10:20, another pair arrived in from the Lough, along with five cygnets.  During earlier visits to the Marina this winter, I did have a pair with six cygnets, but I have not seen them for a long time now.  Could this be them, having lost one of the youngsters, or another family?  When numbers begin to build, unless the birds are ringed, it is too hard to know who is who, and which belongs to the other.

 

At 10:40, a further pair of swan's arrived in from the Lough.  This brought the total to 12 white birds and 9 cygnets.  Judging by the colour of their beaks, along with -   Z78580 , there was also a second 2nd Calendar Year bird.

 

As with the Black-headed Gulls, the numbers of Common Gulls visiting this winter are well down.  Overall numbers would not be great at any time for this species, but if I remember correctly, I have had highs of something like a dozen to fifteen Common Gulls.  I think that this winter's high, was of seven adults.  Today, the first bird arrived at 09:35, followed by a second at 10:18.  It was not until 11:45, that three Common Gulls were present, and this third bird was the small Scottish-rung -   EY64036 .  

 

This is my fourth sighting of -   EY64036 .  It arrived back to the Marina on the 16th August 2021, which happened to be it's earliest return date.  After it's return, the bird was not seen again until the 15th November 2021, and was again recorded the following week, on the 22nd November.    EY64036 , was first spotted here as a juvenile bird on the 9th February 2014, and has returned to Antrim Marina every year since.  The bird was ringed as a chick, on the 20th June 2013, at Hunterston in Ayrshire, Scotland.  The distance to Antrim Marina, is 141 kms / 87 miles (SW), and the duration is now 8 years and 6 months, since being ringed.

 

The Marina's usual adult Herring Gull arrived at 10:18, and a second adult which arrived at 10:50, was promptly chased off.  A juvenile Herring Gull appeared at 11:18, but was gone again within a few minutes.

Mallard numbers were again very poor overall.  Just 10 birds were counted on my arrival, but numbers never passed the 60 to 70 mark.  As usual, most legs were checked, but still no rings.

Just four Jackdaws were noted today, as well as a single Hooded Crow and a single male Grey Wagtail.  The Ravens were heard again in the woodland across the river from the Marina, and just before my departure, I spotted them flying over the Marina towards the nearby Golf Club.

 

Other Sites Around Antrim Town

As I was not returning to work until tomorrow, I decided to visit other sites around the town of Antrim before heading home.  On making my way to the Castle Way car in the centre of the town, I turned onto Bridge Street and noticed a lot of gulls on the rooftop.  Handy enough was a car park, where I found enough space to encourage the birds down.  Throwing out bits of bread, I soon had a least 50 birds, but none were ringed.  One very bold bird, was a juvenile Mediterranean Gull, which easily came right up to my car to be fed.  Had this bird been at Antrim Marina, it may have easily been caught, and I would not hesitate to use one of my colour-rings on it, although they are only registered for use on Black-headed Gulls.  I actually wondered if this could be the same juvenile, that was spotted at Antrim Marina on the 19th September 2021.  That was the occasion when 'GB' visited me at the Marina, having called by on a weekend visit to Northern Ireland, from Scotland.

 

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull  -  Bridge Street Car Park, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (20 Dec 2021)

 

With no rings spotted, it was now a short drive to the Castle Way car park, where I did find a large open area to park.  Looking towards the rooftop which would usually see a large number of gulls, there was a man walking about on it, so of course no gulls.  Hell, I was hoping to record -   2AFD , which normally hangs out here if not seen at the Marina.  This gull breeds in Latvia, and it's return was recorded at Antrim Marina on the 22nd November 2021.

Next stop, was at the Elim Church on the Parkhall Housing Estate.  Once again, there was no sign of -   2AAV , which has not been seen since the 14th December 2020.  Having searched for it on several occasions, I am now certain this bird has since died.  The column on my Antrim Marina Spreadsheet for -   2AAV , will now be coloured red, meaning the bird is no longer with us.

A short distance from the Elim Church, is the car park at Antrim's KFC outlet.  With just three Black-headed Gulls and two juvenile Common Gulls, I did not have to stop, so then headed on towards Antrim's Baptist Church.

Parking behind the church, at least 80 Black-headed Gulls were on the roof, where I had hoped to get my second sighting this winter of the Polish (White) TY43, and also -   2AAB , who was not at the Marina today.  Neither were present, so I then checked for metal-ringed birds.  A Scottish metal-rung Black-headed Gull normally winters here, but there has been no sign of it either so far this winter.

 

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From Brian Chambers

Over the last couple of weeks, very few ring sightings have been reported by other observers for some reason.  Is it because little fieldwork is being undertaken, or is it just a lack of rings being spotted.  On Thursday the 23rd December 2021, an email arrived in from Brian Chambers.  Earlier that morning, Brian was on his fishing boat, which was about 5 miles out to sea from Kilkeel in County Down, when a colour-ringed juvenile Great Black-backed Gull landed on his boat.

 

Using his phone, he took a number of photos showing the ring -   P03:M .  I knew straight away, that this would be a first sighting for Northern Ireland, as I do not have any of these 'Big Gull' rings beginning with a '  P ' on my spreadsheet.  The '  :M ' tells me that the bird is from the Isle of Man, so I copied in Mark Fitzpatrick whilst replying to Brian.

Whilst I was at work on Thursday evening, Mark replied to Brian and myself.    P03:M , had been ringed on the 3rd September 2021, on the Calf of Man, which is home to the Manx Bird Observatory.  I estimated the distance from the Calf of Man, to where Brian's boat was situated, as being roughly 72 kms / 44 miles (W), and it has been 3 months and 20 days since -   P03:M  was ringed.

My thanks to Brian for submitting this sighting, along with the photos.  This juvenile has not travelled to far, but all sightings help with dispersal and survival studies.

 

Juvenile Great Black-backed Gull  -    P03:M   -  At Sea, 5 Miles East of Kilkeel, Co. Down  (23 Dec 2021)

(Ringed as an Un-Sexed Juvenile, on the 3rd September 2021, on the Calf of Man, Isle of Man)

(Photo Courtesy of Brian Chambers)

 

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